Store-service apparatus



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H. HEBE'R-TQ STORE SERVICE APPARATUS. No. 388,559. Patented Aug.j28, 1888.

' a iil' w/ms8s.- INVENTOR.

' By I -3 J A ATTORNEY.

v STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 388,559. Patented- Aug. 28,1888.

"- FETERS "Mb-Limit". WW EC- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUBERT HEBERT, OF LAKE LINDEN, MICHIGAN.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,559, dated August28, 1888.

Application filed March31, 1888. Serial No. 269.114. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUBERT HEBERT, of Lake Linden, in the county ofHoughton and State of Michigan, have invented a new and ImprovedStore-Service Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved devicespecially intended for stores for conveniently carrying cash, messages,or parcels from one place to another.

The invention consists of a track on which is held a carrier providedwith two compartments and having a bottom adapted to slide alternatelyunder the said two compartments, and of means for forcing the saidcarrier from one place to another and back again.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details, andcombinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the same on the line as 20 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is alike view of thesame with the carrier in a different position. Fig. 4 is an enlargedsectional side elevation of the carrier. Fig. 5 is asectional endelevation of the same on the line 3/ y of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a similarview of the same on the line 2 z of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 is an invertedplan view of the same.

The improvement is provided with the two posts A and B, of which thepost A is lo cated in some part of the store and the other post, B,islocated near the office or the cashiers desk, said posts A and B beingsecured either to the ceiling or to the counter, as illustrated in Fig.1.

Between the two posts A and B is stretched a track, 0, formed of a ropeor strip of any suitable material, and on the track (3 is held to travela carrier, D, having a horizontal plate, E, on the top of which aremounted the grooved wheels F, traveling on the track 0.

On the bottom of the plate E are secured the downwardly-extendingcompartments or boxes G and G, both open at the bottom and provided nearthe top with side openings, G, for conveniently inserting the money orthe parcels to be carried.

On the lower ends of the two compartments G and G is held a bottom,H,adapted to cover alternately the lower open ends of the said twocompartments G and G. The bottom II is mounted to slide longitudinallyon the two guideways H, secured to the front and rear of the twocompartments G and G. The bottom H is so arranged that when it closesthe lower end of the compartment G the lower end of the othercompartment, G, is open, and vice versa. .The bottom H is locked inplace under the compartments G and G by the bolts H and H held to slidevertically between the said two compartments on a suitable devicesecured to the plate E. The lowerend of each bolt H or H is beveled, andis adapted to pass into a corresponding notch, H, formed on each side ofthe bottom H.

On the front and rear of the bottom H are secured thedownwardly-extending lugs H adapted to engage the front and rear edgesof plates I and I, secured to the postsA and B, respectively. Said frontand rear edges of the plates I and I diverge from each other, as isplainly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In the said plates I and I are securedthe short tubes J and J, adapted to register with the open lower ends ofthe compartments G and G,as is plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 3-that is,the compartment G is adapted to register with the tube J and thecompartment G is adapted to register with the tube J. Slots I and I areformed longitudinally in the plates I and I,

respectively, permitting the passage of the lower ends of the bolts Hand H, respectively-that is, the bolt H can pass intothe slot 1 of theplate I and the bolt H can passinto the slot 1 of the plate 1'.

On top of the plate E,in front of the grooved wheels F, are secured theslotted lugs K, which fit over the track 0, and against which operatethe free ends of the springs L and L, secured to the posts A and B,respectively. The middle parts of the springs L and L are acted upon byone end of the levers N and N, respectively,fulcrumed on the posts A andB, respectively, and held in an uppermost position by the springs N".The outer ends of the levers N and N are connected with the ends of theropes O and 0, respectively, passing over the pulleys 0 mounted to turnon the posts A and B, respectively. On the lower ends of the ropes O andO are secured the balls or handles 0 and 0, respectively. The ropes Oand 0 also pass through eyes formed in the outer ends of the catches Pand P, respectively fulcrumed on the posts A and B, and each of the saidcatches P and P is provided on its inner end with a hook, P", adapted toengage corresponding grooves, E and E", formed in the outer ends of theplate E of the carrier D. The catches P and P are held in a lockedposition by springs P, as is plainly shown in Fig. 1. On the ropes O andO is also secured a block, Q or Q, held a short distance above the eyesof the catches Pand P, and adapted to operate said catches P and P inorder to release the carrier D.

WVith the rope O is connected one end of a rope, R, passing under apulley, It, mounted to rotate in suitable bearings secured to the postB. The rope R then extends upward to the top of the post B, and passesover a pulley, It, mounted on the said post,and from this pulley R therope Pt passes to and overapulley,R,mounted to rotate on the post A. Therope R then extends downward and passes through an eye, R, secured onthe post A, and on the lower end of the said rope is secured a ball orhandle, R for operating said rope from the neighborhood of the post A.

On the post B is secured a screw, S, which extends inward and is adaptedto open the clamp T, secured to the compartment G of the carrier D, andprovided with a spring, T, for holding the jaws T of the said clampshut. 0n the posts A and B are secured the elastic blocks or bumpers Aand 13, located directly under the catches P and P, and serving toprevent the eyes E and E of the carrier D from receiving injury.

The operation is as follows: When the apparatus is in the position shownin Fig 1 and the operator in the middle of the store desires to send amessage,aparcel, or money to the cen tral office or to the eashiers desklocated near the post B, he places the message between the jaws 'I ofthe clamp T, and the parcel or money is deposited in the compartment Gof the carrierD, said compartment G being closed at its lower end by thebottom H. The operator then pulls on the handle or ball 0 so that therope 0 causes an upward movement of the inner end of the lever N,whereby the said inner end of the lever N presses the spring Linward, sothat thelower end of the said spring L exerts a heavy pressure againstthe lug K of the carrier D. A further downward movement of the rope 0brings the block Q in con tact with the eye of the springcatch P, sothat the hook P of the said spring-catch P disengages the eye E of theplate E, whereby the carrier D is forced forward on the track 0 by theforce of the spring L exerted against the lug K. The force of the springL is sufficient to move the carrier D to the post 13, so that the hook Pof the catch P engages the eye E of the plate E, and at the same timeone arm of the clamp T swings against the head of the screw S, so thatthejaws of the said clamp T are opened and the message drops out andinto the hands of the person standing near the post B. Vhen the carrierD in its forward movement nears the post B, the lugs H come in contactwith the diverging edges of the plate I, so that the bottom Hisprevented from moving with the carrier D, and as the latter movesforward and its compartment G registers with the tube J, said bottom Hremains in front of the tube J. The bottom H is then under the lower endof the compartmentG, as illustrated in Fig. 3. When the carrier D movesover the plate I, the beveled edge of the bolt H, which is in itslowermost position, comes in contact with the plate I, so that the saidbolt 1-1 is raised and passes in front of the bottom H and into the slotH 011 the said front part of the bottom H, thereby locking said bottomunder the compartment G. The parcel or money deposited in thecompartment G then drops through the tube Jinto the eashiers hand heldbelow the said tube J, or on the counter in case the cashier is absent;The cashier can then return the carrier D to its former position bypulling on the handle 0, so that the lever N exerts a pressure againstthe spring L, the free end of the latter being held in con tact with thelug K. As soon as the block Q operates the spring-catch P, so that thehook P of the said catch disengages the eye E" of the plate E, saidcarrier D is sent back to its former position by the force of the springL. The carrier D can also be moved back from the cashiers desk by theoperator standing near the post A, in the following manner: Saidoperator pulls on the ball or handle R so that the rope R causes adownward movement of the rope O, and the latter operates on the lever Nin the same manner as above described.

'In case the cashier has to send back change, he

deposits it in the compartment G, and when the carrier D moves over theplate I the lugs H come in contact with the diverging edges of the saidplate I and prevent the bottom H from moving with the carrier D, so thatthe said bottom H remains at one side of the tube J, while thecompartment G registers with the said tube J, and the change depositedby the cashier in the compartment G passes through the tube J into thehands of the operator standing near the post A. Thus it will be seenthat the carrier D can be used for convenient] y sending messages,parcels, or money to the cashier, and the carrier can be forced backeither by the cashier or by the operator who originally sent the carrierto the cashier.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. In a storeservice apparatus, thecombination, with a carrier provided with two openbottom compartments,of a bottom for alter- IOC ceases 3 nately closing the lower ends of thecompart ing on the said spring to give it the necessary ments carried bythe carrier, and means for preventing the bottom from moving with thecarrier as it nears the end of its route, substantially as described.

2. In a store service apparatus, the combination, with a track, of acarrier provided with two compartments and a bottom adapted to closesaid two compartments alternately, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a store-service apparatus, the combi nation, with a carrierprovided with two openbottom compartments, of a bottom fitted to slideon.the carrier and provided with downwardlyprojecting lugs, and astationary plate with which the lugs of the bottom engage to prevent itfrom moving with the carrier, substantially as described.

4. In a store-service apparatus, the combination, with atrack, of thecarrier D, provided with the plate E, having the upwardly-projectinglugs K K, and on which are mounted the wheels F,traveling on thetrack,the springs L L for engaging the lugs K K of the carrier, thepivoted and spring-held levers N N, and the cords O O, substantially asherein shown and described.

5. In a store-service apparatus, the combination, with a carrierprovided with two compartments and a track on which the said carrier isheld to travel, of a spring-catch at each end of the track for lockingthe said carrier in place at either end of the track, a spring operatingon the said carrier to force it from one end of the track to the other,a lever acttension, a rope connected with the said lever, a blocksecured on the said rope and adapted to operate on the said spring-catchso as to release the carrier after the said spring has received thenecessary tension, and a second rope connected with one of the saidropes and extending to the other end of the track, substantially asshown and described.

6. In a store'service apparatus, the combination, with a track and twofixed plates held at either end of the said track, of a carrier providedwith two compartments and traveling on the said track, and a bottomadapted to close alternately the lower ends of the said twocompartments, said bottom being held to slide on suitable guidewayssecured to the said two compartments, substantially as shown anddescribed.

7. In a store-service apparatus, the combination, with a track and twofixed plates held at either end of the said track, of a carrier providedwith two compartments and traveling on the said track, a bottom adaptedto close alternately the lower ends of the said two compartments, saidbottom being held to slide on suitable gnideways secured to the said twocompartments, and vertically-sliding bolts operated by the said platesand adapted to lock said bottom in place under either compartment,substantially as shown and described.

HUBERT HEBER'I.

Witnesses:

GASPARD O. GIRARDIN, PETER GETZEN.

